Marathon plans timber harvest in school forest
By Kevin O’Brien
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Marathon School District is planning to harvest timber from its school forest, which may also host more student activities in the future after several decades of declining use.
During a report to the school board last Wednesday, teacher Sarah Riesgraf, a member of the school forest committee, said the group recently heard a presentation from DNR forest ranger Nick Hovda, who has developed a forest stewardship management plan for the district.
Hovda’s plan calls for selectively removing trees from five distinct parts of the forest, referred to as “stands,” with an emphasis on getting rid of ash before emerald ash borer becomes a problem. The harvest would occur over a five-year period, from 2023 to 2028, with no harvesting allowed between April 15 and July 15 due to seasonal restrictions on cutting down trees with oak wilt.
“The last time we had a timber harvest at the school forest was in 1994,” Riesgraf told the board.
The 80-acre forest, which was first purchased in 1954 for $1 as a tax delinquent property, includes species such as sugar maple, white ash, red oak, aspen and red pine. Students have planted over 10,000 trees there since 1959.
Running down the middle of the property is a high-voltage power line, which is located within a utility right-of-way that splits the forest into two 40-acre sections. Riesgraf said part of the management plan would be to plant pollinators within the right-of-way, but first the district needs to talk to the utility company about stopping its regular herbicide sprayings. She said the district could get the seeds for free, and students could do some of the planting as part of their classes.
“As far as I know, there’s not been many students out there since the ‘90s,” Riesgraf said.
The first step in preparing for a timber harvest would be to mark the trees. Riesgraf said Hovda may be able to do it if he has time available or it could be done at no cost through UW-Stevens Point. Hovda would also like to do what’s called a “timber cruise” evaluation to determine the approximate value of the wood in the forest before bids are accepted in the summer, she said.
District administrator Rick Parks said he expects the harvest sales to bring in “more than $2,000 and less than probably $50,000” in revenue, which will likely be reinvested in facilities for the forest, such as bathrooms, a shelter, trails or signage.
Riesgraf said Chris Fierie at Riverside Land Surveying has offered to survey the forest for free so the district can officially mark the property boundaries and keep people from chopping down trees or doing unauthorized activities in the forest, Riesgraf said. A local Eagle Scout, Leo Norlack, is also interested in doing a project that includes trails and a firepit.
Because the forest is located about 12 miles away in the town of Mosinee, Parks said most student activities involve high schoolers taking daylong trips to the site, but the district would like to get more grade levels engaged at the property.
In other business:
n As recommended by athletic director Curt Miller, the board voted to combine the track program’s two head coaching positions into one for both the boys and girls teams. Out of the 46 teams at the sectional meet this year, Miller said Marathon was one of only two schools that has two track coaches, and he and many others believe switching to one will offer a lot of benefits. Miller, as the single head coach, will take over control of the boys team from EJ Otto.
n The board approved the creation of three new high school classes, including chamber choir for eight to 12 singers who pass an audition, along with introduction to sociology and introduction to psychology, which will replace courses currently offered through Northcentral Technical College. High school principal David Beranek said the district will save between $250 and $300 per student by having the two dual-credit courses taught in-house by social studies teacher Jacob Skalitsky, rather than by an instructor at NTC.
n The board took no action on changing the membership age requirements for the Marathon Wellness Center, where anyone under the age of 18 is required to be supervised by an adult. Parks said district officials will try to crack down on underage individuals using their parents’ membership cards to get into the wellness center unsupervised. Otherwise, he said a supervisor would need to be hired if underage kids were allowed in without a parent or guardian.
n The board approved the hiring of Taylor Ensign as an agriculture/science teacher, allowing ag classes to restart in the second semester. The position has been vacant since Connor Ellenbecker accepted the position of associate principal at Marathon Elementary School/ Marathon Venture Academy. Ensign, who has previous teaching experience in Colby, will need to be certified to teach science classes before the second semester starts in January. She will also serve as the district’s FFA advisor.
n The board approved the hiring of Brenda Wirkus as a teacher’s assistant at the elementary.
n Board members agreed to have the district purchase Knox Boxes, which will allow multiple law enforcement agencies and fire departments to access school buildings in case of an emergency. Parks said each box costs about $1,000 to purchase and install, and at least one will be placed at each school building. Knox Boxes allow emergency responders to get into the buildings without the district having to issue individual key cards to multiple agencies.
n The board voted to implement a full ACH payment system, which means coaches, referees and other outside workers will no longer receive paper checks. Parks said the district issued over 3,000 checks last year, and 50 checks went uncashed, with some of them having to be voided. The ACH system will save the district both money and staff time, he said.
